The Reverend Jarrett Maupin’s response to being the subject of an incredibly error-filled and indisputably biased article that appeared in or on media platforms controlled by The Arizona Republic today:

“I have never been more disappointed or sickened by a media report in The Arizona Republic, than I was today. To be the subject of vicious lies, fabricated scandal, and then to be publicly defamed by a series of professional, personal, and social insult quotes is a form of abuse that the leaders of our paper of record should be concerned about.

“I would like to address several outright lies in the article:

First of all, I am the leader of a years old quasi-religious non-profit social welfare organization that, in-part, functions as a church. This was publicly available information that the so-called journalists that authored this story failed to research or simply ignored. I have also served with distinction as an interim minister and associate minister at several churches.

Second, I do not and never have charged hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees to anyone that came to me with a civil rights concern. I engage in civil rights activism that is totally free and self-sustaining. Completely separate and apart from this community work, I do operate a consulting firm that is exclusively focused on political, business, and community development issues and clientele. These two areas of work function independently of each other and are absolutely unrelated.

Third, I do not and have not ever attempted to solicit money from, manage money for, or demand any sort of donation or contribution from ANY person I have ever advocated for. In fact, The Arizona Republic article states that of ALL of the people they interviewed only two people made this baseless and low accusation. Both of these people have either a personal or political motivation to make these disparaging claims.

Fourth, in the case of Ms. Lorenza Valdez, I suspect my long and unapologetic relationship with former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has more to do with this than any sort of alleged mistreatment she experienced. Her new puppet-masters, the Center for Neighborhood Leadership and Puente, have long had a vendetta against the former sheriff and have, apparently, carried-over that vengeful agenda to anyone who dares to continue to call him a friend. What I do know is that until I raised awareness around the Valdez matter, neither Puente nor the Center for Neighborhood Leadership had said anything or taken any action to advocate around the matter. As for Ms. Valdez paying me any money for anything I did, I completely reject and denounce that narrative as a lie. What in fact happened is this, Ms. Valdez sought the professional services of a private investigative firm. I am not a private investigator. What I am is a shot messenger. When Ms. Valdez failed to meet her obligations to the private investigators she hired, I received calls about it. I vouched for her and even offered to have my non-profit pay expenses. I told Ms. Valdez this as well, unfortunately my offer was declined by both parties. Ms. Valdez paid the fees assessed to her by the private investigative team she hired. Upon Ms. Valdez affiliating with Puente and Center for Neighborhood Leadership, I received ONE call – out of the blue – about the monies she paid out to the private investigator and related consultants. Immediately upon hearing a request for a return of the monies, I contacted anyone on my staff who had any connection to the consultants. Almost instantaneously, the funds Ms. Valdez spent were returned to me, save for the cost of the professional photographer that was hired to document fatal injuries to her son’s body and his post-mortem state – which she requested and insisted be publicly released. I insisted on returning the monies immediately to Ms. Valdez, even though her new handlers kept suggesting that I do so when I returned from a 2 week civil rights conference in Atlanta. I absolutely REFUSED to do that and demanded that we meet a day later, on Mother’s Day, and personally handed Ms. Valdez all of her funds. We continued to meet for between 2 and 3 hours, where I was exhaustively questioned by her new handlers about strategies and political insights related to the Valdez case. I freely and willingly indulged all of their questions and left the meeting feeling confident they had asked me everything they needed to ask with respect to how to move forward with protests and political pressure tactics. This all occurred in the matter of 2 weeks or less. That is the extent of my involvement and several witnesses and consultants who were hired by Ms. Valdez and collected money from Ms. Valdez offered to and did speak to the journalist who wrote this tabloid worthy garbage. Sadly, their statements were not included in this story in any meaningful way. I never chose an attorney for Ms. Valdez and I never gave any advice about the legal issues present in her case.

Fifth, in the case of Ms. Shanesha Taylor, I have absolutely nothing to say beyond this: I have never charged or demanded a donation or contribution from Shanesha Taylor. I have never authorized anyone else to do so either. Shanesha Taylor was among all of my many thousands of contacts that were turned over to campaign staff during my 2014 run for Congress. She was, according to her, contacted and asked for a contribution. As I understand her claim, she willingly and freely gave a $500.00 contribution to the campaign. I have never had a conversation with Shanesha about this campaign contribution. I have however appeared on the Dr. Phil Show with Shanesha and she never once mentioned the alleged campaign contribution. I also set-up a media sting with CBS5 KPHO because Shanesha was making unfounded extortion claims against me while at the same time continuing to interact with me in a cordial way. More than a year ago, upon learning of these allegations, I agreed to a lunch with Shanesha during which a reporter from the aforementioned station appeared and questioned her about why she would dine or meet with someone she had such negative feelings about. Shanesha denied having made any accusations at all and stopped making the allegations. I have never – NOT ONCE – made any requests or demands of Shanesha Taylor. I continue to have deep disappointment over her apparent inability to abide or live up to the very fair and justice-oriented agreement that was reached by her attorney at the time and the Maricopa County Attorney’s office. I continue to feel terrible about the murkiness and questions that remain about what she did or did not do or allow to happen to the thousands of dollars the public donated to her cause. What I do know is this, Shanesha Taylor never paid or gave me any money. Period. The only time money ever changed hands was when I first met Shanesha and gave she and her companion at the time $300.00 dollars out of my pocket to buy groceries and fuel because they claimed to have nothing. I do not regret giving to them because I gave out of the abundance of my heart as a Christian.

Sixth, as for apologizing for participating in the shoot or don’t shoot scenario with the Sheriff’s office, I will never do such a thing. Over 30 million Americans have watched and learned from that important video. Even FBI leaders have cited it as a way to encourage and bring law enforcement and the community together. The fact that I participated in a use of force scenario does no change my beliefs about police brutality and misconduct. I continue to fight for reforms more passionately and directly than any other activist I know. I did, however, gain a new appreciation for the use of compliance as a survival mechanism for people confronted with police brutality or excessive force situations. Compliance can help to keep people alive. Compliance does not, however, stop a law enforcement officer bent on violating or injuring or killing a person from doing so. I totally reject and rebuke any remarks or so-called activists who claim my open lines of communication with law enforcement damage the civil rights movement in any way. That opinion is flat on its face and reveals to me the unfortunate level of ignorance some people harbor, in spite of being in close proximity to the political and social realities that impact the movement for police and policy reform.

Seventh, how dare the author of this hit piece interview nearly a hundred people and discount the overwhelmingly positive and praise worthy things they had to say. Shame on this reporter for using the conflicted and bitter barking of two non-victims to draft such a racist and unbalanced news article. I now believe that the label racist and unbalanced probably applies to the author as well. This article was a political hit job and the unprofessional and grimy line and nature of questioning that this reporter engaged in upset and disturbed many of my closest friends and colleagues. Unfortunately for the author, they did not satisfy his sick storyline and were – without a second thought – not included in the finished story.

Eight, I want to know who at The Arizona Republic that looks like me and comes from where I come from, was in a position to try and stop or criticize this completely meritless article? What Black person is in leadership at The Arizona Republic? And was this run-by that person to prevent what happened from occurring? The answer is, there is no such person. And so, racism and petty politics around local personalities permitted our esteemed paper of record to become a rag unworthy to even wash windows with.”

“In summation, let me reiterate the fact that – with the exception of two highly conflicted persons – every single person interviewed DENIED ever having been charged money or asked for money by me or my organizers. That the newspaper INCORRECTLY stated that I have no formal church or civil rights organization, that I charge money for people facing issues of discrimination or other abuses, and that I have ever, in any way shape or form, misused my authority as an activist minister. I am unapologetically Black and adhere to the liberationist interpretation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I represent Black, I live Black, I love Black, and I will die Black. This type of yellow, racist, “fake news” is exactly what is destroying our country. I encourage all literate people to re-read the article and use their brains. It is FULL of inconsistencies, falsehoods, truth-stretching, manipulation, racism, and spite. I had hoped never to have to give credence to President Trump’s assertion that the media is the enemy and I am still hesitant to do so, but it is clear now that certain members of the media are – in fact – the enemy and the author of this article is chief amongst them, locally.

“I pray for my followers, for my community, and supporters. I pray for my enemies and those who despitefully use and persecute me. I pray for my political opponents and their minions. I pray for the free press and their integrity. I pray for the strength to continue to keep the faith and fight the good fight.

“I condemn this news story and its author and answer all of its allusions or allegations with one word: lies.

“How many more nasty articles will the paper allow this man to write about me? How many more times does he get to try and assassinate or lynch a black leader? Why does the paper permit the printing of such irresponsible and truthless journalism?

“One thing is for certain, The Republic still treats leading niggers that they don’t or can’t control – like niggers. I, like Malcolm X, Adam Powell, Stockely Carmichael, H.Rap Brown or other colored freedom fighters before me will never apologize for my Negritude. I wear The Republic’s nigger badge with honor, as did my predecessors and other in between who dare or dared to thumb our noses at the racism of our day. I’m just glad I helped sell a few new subscriptions to the old rag and thankful for the nice portrait they ran. My undue misery just secured another paycheck for a reporter who frowned when he found out that one pair of my shoes could finance his whole wardrobe.

“Fuck being polite or politically correct. Today’s article was both the doom song of decency and the birth cries of unapologetic demagoguery. The public is tired of these kind of bullshit stories.

“This is the age of the internet and of cell phones. Nobody looks to the newspaper for unbiased and fact based news. That day is over and done with. Print what you want. Say what you want. Do what you want. I plan on doing the same without regrets or apologies. White men do and so shall I. Keep the faith, baby!”

Civil Rights Activist, Rev . Jarrett Maupin will attend tonight’s Glendale City Council meeting and speak against keeping the Phoenix Coyotes NHL Team in the city. “We must stop the abuse of Glendale’s hard working tax payers, people of color, the jobless. We must work to find a solution, without the NHL, that helps the city and relieves some of the financial burdens her citizens are carrying,” Maupin says.

Glendale, AZ – Arizona Civil Rights activist, the Rev. Jarrett Maupin says he will be present at tonight’s Glendale City Council meeting to protest the city keeping the Phoenix Coyotes Hockey team and “bending to the will of NHL leaders and Investors with no love or loyalty” to the city and it’s residents.

Maupin labels the deals that prospective ownership and investors have pitched as unfair, “Glendale is not the NHL’s sugar-mama, poor folk in this city are not interested in being possibly paid back in the hereafter,” he says. With 11.9% of Glendale families living under the federal poverty level, the Preacher says city leaders must do what’s in the best interests of their poorest constituents. He hopes Glendale Councilman Sammy Chavira stands up for black, latino, and poor families with nothing to gain from making a deal. “As a firefighter he should understand that cutting city services puts people’s lives in danger, cutting city jobs takes bread off people’s tables, draining the city’s accounts harms the quality of life of poor and underserved residents the city should be serving first and who needs the help the most,” Maupin says.

Maupin will speak at tonight’s meeting to ask city leaders to move forward with a plan to solicit bids for an Arena Management contract. The Activist feels multiple events and varied use is the key to Glendale’s success: “Concerts, expos, sports events, fairs, and other entertainment events need venues. Multiple-uses mean thousands of revolving jobs. The potential for putting people to work, particularly the low-skilled, increases explosively.”

“This is about jobs and fixing a municipal budget weakened by exploitation,” Maupin says, “The NHL and investors will just keep on using Glendale, until they use it up. This cannot be, it is not fair.”

REV. JARRETT MAUPIN AND BLACK LEADERS OUTRAGED OVER PHOENIX CITY COUNCILMAN MICHAEL NOWAKOWSKI’S “BETRAYAL” OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS. MAUPIN, WHO CAMPAIGNED WITH NOWAKOWSKI FOR HIS FIRST ELECTION IN THE CITY’S BLACK CHURCHES, NOW SAYS, “NOWAKOWSKI HAS GONE AGAINST HIS PROMISES TO SUPPORT BLACK LEADERSHIP AND PROMOTE DIVERSITY ON THE CITY COUNCIL BY ENDORSING A WHITE SHAM-CANDIDATE IN BROWN-FACE FOR DISTRICT 8. KATE WIDLAND-GALLEGO IS A WHITE POLITICAL PATSY, AN INTERLOPING POLITICAL PUPPET WITH NO CONNECTION TO THE AREA OR THE PEOPLE WHATSOEVER.” MAUPIN SAYS NOWAKOWSKI IS, “PRACTICING THE POLITICS OF RACIAL EXPLOITATION AND IS BEING INEXPLICABLY COMPELLED TO ATTEMPT A POLITICAL LYNCHING OF PHOENIX’S BLACK COMMUNITY AT THE URGING OF REP. RUBEN GALLEGO.”

Phoenix, AZ – Local Civil Rights Leader, the Rev. Jarrett Maupin is challenging Councilman Michael Nowakowski to, “Do the right thing and withdraw his endorsement of Kate Widland-Gallego.” Maupin worked to elect Michael in 2007 to the council for his first term by organizing Black churches to turn out voters at the polls. Sunday after Sunday, throughout South Phoenix, Maupin says he and Michael were “joined at the hip” working the pews in an effort to elect a Latino to the council. There was no Latino serving at the time. Now, with the city’s only Black-held council seat up for grabs, the Reverend doesn’t understand how Nowakowksi could, “Attempt to politically lynch Phoenix’s Black Community by bending to the will of Rep. Ruben Gallego,” who is running his wife, Kate Widland-Gallego, a White political interloper, over against the Black candidate in the race for the city’s 8th council district seat. Michael had traveled extensively- speaking, praying, and asking for votes – in the city’s black churches, at Maupin’s invitation and direction. “He campaigned in our houses of worship on a unity platform. He would read a favorite prayer of Cesar Chavez, quote Dr. King, and now he has thrown all of those promises he made, promises made in God’s House, under the bus. He has turned Si Se Puede and We Shall Overcome into Si Yo Puedo and Me, Myself, and I,” said Maupin. The activist also says the councilman is “For some godforsaken reason, and at Ruben Gallego’s command, trying to ignite racial political fires by backing a White candidate with a Hispanic last-name to confuse voters.” Kate Widland-Gallego, who is not Latina, is also not openly campaigning as White. “Ruben must have convinced Michael that Latinos and Blacks who vote in South Phoenix are stupid. We know what a wolf in sheep’s clothing looks like. Why doesn’t Widland-Gallego run on who she is: a power-hungry, White, SRP booster who never lived in South Phoenix and has no relationship with the district’s minority voters? Can’t she be real about who she is? If she won’t tell her story, I know a preacher who will.” said Maupin.

Phoenix – Arizona Civil Rights Activist the Rev. Jarrett Maupin says recent mailers designed, distributed, and authorized by the Arizona Democratic Party and that benefit the campaign of Congressional Candidate Kyrsten Sinema are “Absolutely racist.” The campaign mailers, which show Sinema’s opponent and current CD9 front-runner Vernon Parker (who is Black) with exaggerated and stereotypical racial features, were sent out to Arizona voters on at least two occasions. Maupin says many Black Arizonans, Democrats and Republicans, feel the literature was designed to portray Vernon as “the angry black man” or to characterize him as a political version of “Stepin Fetchit.” Others were deeply hurt when it arrived in the mail.

Arizona Civil Rights Leader the Rev. Jarrett Maupin is demanding that the Arizona Democratic Party and Sinema Congressional Campaign denounce and apologize for campaign mailers sent to voters that include manipulated, offensive, intentional, and racially exploitive photographs of Vernon Parker, a Black American and front-runner in the race to represent Congressional District 9. The photographs, which have clearly been edited to give Mr. Parker dramatically darker skin and exaggeratedly whiter teeth and eyes, are: “The most offensive race-targeting campaign materials that Black Arizonans have had to deal with in decades”, Maupin says. The Reverend is demanding that the staffers who designed and authorized the use of the photographs be fired: “Somebody decided that it would hurt Vernon to make him blacker, that it would stir something in voters if he were made to look like a villainous field-negro cut-out from some Jim Crow era minstrel-show poster. These photos are insulting and do not respect the ethnicity of Vernon, President Obama and all Black Democrats.”

Maupin is now demanding that The Arizona Democratic Party and Sinema’s campaign apologize to the entire Black community and directly to Black Democrats, Vernon Parker, and President Barack Obama who has also been the victim of similar political race-baiting this election season. “It isn’t right. The Party knows it, Kyrsten knows it, and the staff responsible for it should all be fired,” said The Reverend. The activist says many now question Kyrsten Sinema’s commitment to her district’s Black residents, “As a minority, Ms. Sinema should understand how hurtful this literature is. She has fought for respect for L.G.B.T.Q. but does she herself respect B-L-A-C-K?” Not if she doesn’t apologize and demonstrate leadership by righting an obvious and offensive wrong, the preacher says.

If Kyrsten Sinema and the Arizona Democratic Party don’t move quickly to address this insult, Maupin says Sinema may well be running against the entire Black community, not just Vernon Parker. “Arizona has been a state for 100 years, and in 100 years we haven’t had one Black Congressperson ever elected. How will we ever, whether they are liberal or conservative, if people don’t stop making the “color” of their skin more important than the content of their character?” said Maupin. Until the apologies come, Maupin says he and others will take the message to the Black churches and neighborhoods in and out of Congressional District 9, starting today. “I’ve got a forum I’m addressing tonight at one of the largest and oldest Black churches in Arizona and you can bet the farm that this will be issue number one. For this to come from Democrats, from within Obama’s party, how can the President win if this is how the Arizona Democratic Party’s leadership really sees Black people?” Maupin asks.

Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Civil Rights activist, the Rev. Jarrett Maupin has endorsed Congressman Ben Quayle in the Republican Primary Election for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. While the Reverend acknowledged that he and Quayle represent opposite sides of the current political divide, Maupin says you cannot deny Quayle is an effective leader.“He’s loyal to his base. I don’t agree with most of what he represents, but I can appreciate how passionately and professionally he does it,” Maupin said.

The Reverend also says that Quayle should stop attacking President Obama and focus on promoting fresh and fair policy ideas, particularly around job creation, saying: “Quayle has more in common with Obama than he thinks. They are both relatively young and fighting to have more than one term in office.”

Quayle faces a tough primary against a seasoned opponent, who is also an incumbent member of Congress, but Rev. Maupin has high hopes for a Quayle victory. “Congressman Quayle represents an emerging new bench of talented Arizona political players. People should support him in the primary, 20 and 30 year-olds especially. He’s cool, he’s one of us.”

When asked about recent controversies linked to Quayle, Maupin says don’t be too quick to judge: “All of this drama about Galilee and Quayle partaking in Playboy Antics sounds like jealousy to me. Now we know… Ben Quayle lives life, and so what???” Maupin adds, “Ben may turn out to be the 21st Century Conservative Republican American Pie version of the much envied, vilified, and controversial Congressman Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Powell drank, smoked, and womanized… He also gave us Upward-Bound, increased the minimum-wage, and was responsible for mustering Congressional support for President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs.”

Conservatives should stick with a hipster-esq young-gun like Quayle says Maupin, who thinks Arizona needs to have political balance now and in the future. If conservative voters give Quayle the boot in 2012 they’ll regret it later says the liberal preacher, “You people need someone like Ben Quayle in Congress because, God knows, one day you’ll have someone like the Reverend Jarrett Maupin in there too…”

Blagojevich is a sitting Governor. He is currently charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as solicitation of bribery.

Young Jarrett Maupin might or might not be a “pol-wannabe,” but comparing him with Blagojevich is a smear.

Mead has some experience with smears.

In 2002, Mead ran what is widely considered one of the dirtiest campaigns in recent Arizona political history against State Senator Lori Daniels. He accused Daniels of supporting the unpopular “alt fuels” bill, when she had actually voted against it.

In 2006, Mead allegedly engaged in gay bashing as part of his unsuccessful campaign for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In 2007, Greg Patterson of EspressoPundit.com noted that Mead didn’t consider a ban on women at the “Men’s Grill” at the Phoenix Country Club to be an issue. Patterson wrote: “Segregation and Dirty Tricks. It sounds like Mead’s a fan of Lyndon Johnson’s early work.”

Most recently, Mead was taken to task by Arizona Republic columnist Robert Robb, who wrote: “Mead is part of a regrettably growing breed in politics, on all sides, that prefers to make up what the opposition says and believes, rather than deal honestly with the arguments actually being made.”

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